


The Dolphin House

by Judybrandtner



Series: Family of Ten [10]
Category: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, basically fluff with a bit of childish angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 17:30:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15711786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judybrandtner/pseuds/Judybrandtner
Summary: During a visit to the zoo, Jamie notices that Faith might be worried for something.





	The Dolphin House

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on a friend's cute childhood story. No actual idea if there are dolphins at Edinburgh's Zoo, so it's based it in the zoo the real story happened (Madrid, Spain). Even the names of the dolphins are based on the ones there were back then (mid 1990s)

Spring had arrived at Edinburgh and the Frasers had decided that a visit to the Zoo was exactly the right thing to do, a last family outing before the new baby, due in three weeks, arrived.

The wee Fraser sisters adored to go to see the animals. Faith adored the giraffes and the penguins while Brianna loved the bears and her mother's uncanny ability of make them wave in exchange of pieces of honeyed bread they sold in the place.

'Ye're a witch Sassenach, ' Jamie joked with her wife after the third group of tourists asked Claire to use her magic on the bears in order to take a better photo. 'They love ye more than their keepers.'

'They doing it for the food, Jamie.' Claire answered her husband, 'There's nothing else in it. They want food, they answer to get it.'

'Always the scientific mind, a ghraidh.' Jamie said, while taking Brianna from her m other's arms, 'we prefer magic, isna it, Bree?'

But there was something amiss, Faith, who had inherited her mother's glass face, seemed not enjoying the day out as much as the rest of the family. They were walking to the Dolphin House to watch their show when Claire had the need to use the toilets and send her family to get nice seats instead of wait at the door. Once in the Dolphin House, still empty, as the show wouldn't start in another 20 minutes, Jamie decided it was a good moment to ask Faith what seemed to be worrying her.

''Tis everything OK, mo chridhe?'

'Aye, Da' She sighed.

'I ken 'tis no,' He answered his daughter, 'ye ken ye can tell us whatever it worries ye, Faith.'

''Tis just...' Faith started to said but shrugged, Jamie held his four years old daughter tighter to encourage her to talk, 'if the new baby is a lad, are ye goin' to stop lovin' us?'

'What?' Jamie said, surprised by the question, 'what makes ye think such a nonsense.'

'Graham from school told me that if the new baby is a lad ye'll stop lovin' Bree and me because Das only like boys, like his Da loves him more than his sister.' Faith explained to Jamie, tears almost coming from her eyes.

'Faith, that's no true, whatever the new baby is, I'm no goin' to love ye and yer sister any less.' Jamie told Faith as he made her sit ion his lap. 'Do ye think Grandda Brian loves Aunt Jenny less because he has me and yer uncles?' Faith nodded. 'Or Uncle Willie loves Sophie less or Uncle Ian, Maggie and Kitty, because they also have the lads? Faith, Das love all their children the same whatever they are, and if they dinna, then they're wrong. Now, can I have a wee smile from ye, ye love dolphins.' Faith smiled and Jamie's heart lighted up.

'Excuse me.' A female voice called for them. 'I'm Sarah, the dolphins' keeper, 'I dinna ken if ye ken this, but we ask for a young spectator to come with us to participate on the show. We use to ask the first bairn in come and ye're the first today. Would this wee lady interested in meet the dolphins in person?'

'What do ye say Faith? Do ye want to be on the show?' Faith nodded gleefully and the keeper told them to wait for her signal and walk to the stage on the other side of the dolphins pool.

'Whatever the baby is I can assure you that it has future as a professional footballer.' Claire told her family as she rejoined them at the Dolphin House. 'It's been using my bladder as a football for the whole day.'

'Mam, mam, I'm goin' to meet the dolphins.' A excited Faith run to her. 'Like, for real.'

'Aye, our wee lass has landed a role on the dolphins' show.' Jamie told Claire proudly.

'Oh, that's wonderful, Faith.' Claire said to Faith.

Little by little the theatre at the Dolphin House filled up, five minutes before the scheduled time for the show, the keeper came for Faith, Jamie following them to film the show from a side of the stage, while Claire and Bree stayed sit at their second row sits. 

'Good afternoon Dolphin lovers!' Said the male keeper receiving a moderate response form the public 'A wee bit more of energy would be nice. Let's try again. Good afternoon Dolphin lovers!' This time the response was louder. 'Good. I'm Keeper Duncan, me and Keeper Sarah are yer hosts today, but before we started, we need to introduce ye to our special assistant for today. There's Keeper Sarah with her.' He said as Faith and the keeper walked on stage, Claire tried to keep Bree as alert as she could on her sister. 'Tell us yer name, wee lady.' He said to Faith.

She shrugged a bit due to full theatre before her but after Jamie made her a signal from the side she finally answered 'My name is Faith.'

'Faith, that's a bonny name,' Duncan said to her, 'Whom ye've come here today?'

'My Da, my Mam and my sister Bree.' Faith answered.

'Ye're a lovely family. ' Keeper Duncan said, 'Everyone say hi to Faith and her family.' The audience cheered again.

'One moment, that's not correct.' Keeper Sarah said to his partner. 'If ye are Keeper Duncan and I am Keeper Sarah, she canna be just plain Faith, she must be Keeper Faith.' The lady went to retrieve a badge from one of her pockets to place it on Faith's flowery dress. 'Now is good. Are ye ready to meet the dolphins?' Faith nodded as the people cheered again, louder than ever. The door separating the inner and the outer pools opened, letting the dolphins to come out, jumping and twirling on the water before place themselves on a tidy line before Faith and the keepers.

'Let me introduce ye to our starts,' Keeper Sarah said, 'Ye're free to pet them if ye want Keeper Faith, but carefully.' Faith nodded and got closer to them. 'These are our sisters dolphins, Mary, Lissy and Wallina.' The dolphins made happy noises and splash their tails on the water as the keeper introduce them to Faith and the audience. 'And this is our male, Triton.' Instead of splash his tail on the water, the male dolphin jumped to give Faith a quick peck on the cheek, making Faith laugh. 'Oh, ye, Triton, cheeky lad.' The keeper told him as Triton the Dolphin made laugh like noise.

The keepers taught Faith how to make the dolphins do their tricks with a baton and a whistle, played with them a ball game, let them drive her on a small boat around the pool and directed them on a peculiar version of the Skye Boat Song. At the end of the show, the keepers gifted her with a dolphin plushie almost as big as her before return to Jamie, and then to Claire and Bree at the Dolphin House exit.

'Have ye filmed all of it, Da? Faith asked to her father.

'I didna miss a second of it.' Jamie answered Faith. 

'You were fantastic Faith, everyone loved you.' Claire said.

'Can we go to Aunt Jenny's house today?' Faith asked her parents 'I want to tell Maggie and Kitty. And show them my dolphin.'

'Let me ask Aunt Jenny first,' Jamie said as they walked to the Zoo's way out, 'but I canna see why no'. But ye have to think a good name for yer dolphin before ye show it to yer cousins.'

'Triton!' Faith surely said 'His name is Triton!'


End file.
